I'm not sure, but I think this summer. Certainly the prototype I'm using seems to be in excellent shape. I suggested a minor change in the handle grooves---actually, just one groove: I suggested that the wider of the two grooves toward the butt of the handle should be closer to the butt, with the narrower of the two removed altogether or moved above the wider. I thought this would do more to create a knob at the end of the handle, useful for the ATG.

BTW, the brush I used---a barber's professional, a combination of boar and white horsehair---is absolutely terrific. You can get it at BullgooseShaving.net in the US, at GiftsAndCare.com in the EU.

leisureguy wrote:I'm not sure, but I think this summer. Certainly the prototype I'm using seems to be in excellent shape. I suggested a minor change in the handle grooves---actually, just one groove: I suggested that the wider of the two grooves toward the butt of the handle should be closer to the butt, with the narrower of the two removed altogether or moved above the wider. I thought this would do more to create a knob at the end of the handle, useful for the ATG.

BTW, the brush I used---a barber's professional, a combination of boar and white horsehair---is absolutely terrific. You can get it at BullgooseShaving.net in the US, at GiftsAndCare.com in the EU.

It wasn't scrubby in the way that a short-bristled brush is: it has a fairly long loft, so it has a nice resilience and is pleasant on the face, though you can tell that the bristle tips have been cut square and have not split to provide the additional softness that develops in time. It worked up a terrific lather, though, and held enough for the full shave, which in my experience is unusual for a boar brush in general and in particular unusual for a new one.

The main thing about iKon razors was that they were stainless steel. I am not interested to buy any casted razor. Hope Greg(iKon master) will make a stainless still slant. and good luck with the new line.

leisureguy wrote:I'm not sure, but I think this summer. Certainly the prototype I'm using seems to be in excellent shape. I suggested a minor change in the handle grooves---actually, just one groove: I suggested that the wider of the two grooves toward the butt of the handle should be closer to the butt, with the narrower of the two removed altogether or moved above the wider. I thought this would do more to create a knob at the end of the handle, useful for the ATG.

BTW, the brush I used---a barber's professional, a combination of boar and white horsehair---is absolutely terrific. You can get it at BullgooseShaving.net in the US, at GiftsAndCare.com in the EU.

Michael, approximately how long is the handle of your prototype? My iKon Bulldog handle, at just over 3", is perfect for me. In my experience, any handle much longer is more difficult to maneuver.

I had the pleasure of testing this razor as well. I found it to be a very smooth shaver and very efficient without being too aggressive. Generally, I used the open comb side for with grain passes and the closed comb side for the against the grain pass and touch-ups. It worked like a charm!

Regarding the symmetric idea: I thought that also at first, but now I'm finding I really am enjoying the dual-personality aspect. In fact, I'm beginning to understand that this, the dual personality thing, is the whole idea of the razor. I don't think it will be changed, but I do think that he will come out with other (different) models that are symmetric.

Let me add to that: The dual-personality aspect in effect gives the shave a new dimension: instead of shaving with a single razor edge format, you have two in the same razor---right at hand, as it were. You could, of course, simply switch back and forth between two different razors in your collection, but not only is that awkward, the edge formats might be incompatible---i.e., too far apart in aggressiveness or with different blade angles---so that the shave is uncomfortable and nick-prone.

With the OSS, the two edge formats are "in tune," as it were: switching back and forth is not only comfortable, it's pleasant---like hitting one note and then a harmonious but different note.

There are MANY razors that have the two sides the same. If that's what a shaver wants, there's an embarrassment of riches. But a single razor that provides, metaphorically, a three-dimensional shave unlike the two-dimensional ones that symmetric razors deliver---such a razor as that is unique, and why would it be slapped flat to be like all the other razors?